Can plants be funny? The definition of humor is “the quality of being amusing or comic”. So, if a plant can make you smile, then, by definition, a plant is a comedian. So what are the funniest plants? Here’s my list. Air plants have big spiky topknots, twisty anches, yet they have no root systems. Ha! Because they live on air. That’s pretty amazing/amusing. And cactus. They look all cute and cuddly. But don't get too close. (I guess that’s not funny exactly. More ironic.) Asymmetry is visually amusing. Some cacti have eccentric growth habits—arms that stick out here and there. Surprising. Silly. Succulents are amusing. They are spiky and colorful and the antithesis of what people think of as simple green houseplants.

Spider plants are funny—they give birth to new plants by tossing out a stem, then growing a baby at the end of it. It’s like having a baby erupt from the ends of your fingertips. Carnivorous plants, such as pitcher plants or Venus fly traps, are diabolically funny; they are designed to capture and devour insect food snacks. Mwah-ha-ha. Interesting containers can enhance a plants’ sense of humor. For example, a tiki head with a head full of sedum can’t but help make you smile.

A vintage hedgehog planter gets a tactile spine when planted with a spiky succulent. What kind of plants amuse you? And what kind of containers do you plant them in to make you smile?